2030 in Your Village:

Green Square & City South

Community builders

Meet Peter Miu – he has turned his balcony into a mini vegie patch,and now he wants all his neighbours to do their bit to make Green Square even greener. The 33-year-old snapped up property here just over two years ago, but found it hard to connect with other residents in the developing area – so he decided to create his own. Find out more.

The area

Neighbourhoods in Green Square & City South are proud of their industrial heritage, while adapting to the changes and challenges of a new inner urban lifestyle. Green Square is part of Sydney’s Global Economic Corridor, but its important role in the area’s economy is threatened by inadequate public
transport and traffic congestion.

More than three-quarters of homes are in multi-storey apartments. As its emerging hub, Green Square Town Centre is the largest urban renewal project in the southern hemisphere.

This $8 billion development will deliver 22,000 new jobs, 20,000 new homes and 40,000 new residents.

The long-established neighbourhoods of Zetland, Rosebery and Beaconsfield are prized for their tree-lined streets and historic terraces, cottages and bungalows. In Alexandria and St Peters, heritage homes and new apartments sit alongside industrial warehouses, factory outlets and car yards. Danks Street has emerged as a distinctive new food and arts precinct.

The people

Green Square & City South is home to a range of cultural and ethnic groups, including a high proportion of Asian immigrants. The area has a higher proportion of nonresidential properties than most of the City of Sydney, other than the CBD.

Its residents are highly educated, with high employment levels. The area has the highest proportion of home purchasers in the City and is the fastest growing area. It is home to a large proportion of 25-to-34-year-olds, more than double the Sydney average. It also has the highest proportion of children in the city.

There are approximately 19,800 people living in the area, which is expected to rise to approximately 47,900 residents by 2030. This growth is the highest as a percentage and in absolute numbers than in any other part of the City of Sydney.

City projects & services

Some projects the City has completed or are underway through our Local Action Plans and Sustainable Sydney 2030 include:

Parks, streets and facilities

Sydney Park improvements, including extensive landscaping, grass amphitheatre for community events, new all-abilities playground, accessible toilets and a kiosk. Fitness equipment will be installed

A stormwater reuse scheme in Sydney Park, which will save millions of litres of water for the wetlands and to irrigate the park, and potentially be available to other users

Bourke Road separated cycleway from Wyndham Street to Gardeners Road and along Bowden and Mandible Streets, including wider footpaths, new street furniture and lighting, stormwater treatment and new gardens

The $8 billion Green Square redevelopment, to create a new Town Centre with a diverse mix of housing including affordable housing, offices and shops, and new green space

Draft City Plan, prepared with extensive consultation and urban design studies, establishes new planning controls to balance preservation of our distinctive villages with the need for housing and office, retail and industrial space

Light rail strongly promoted to the State Government to link Green Square with the CBD, including Council purchase of part of a new transport corridor

Removal of the Green Square train station access fee successfully advocated by the City, which has increased patronage by 50%

Culture and community

$2.4 million refurbishment of Waterloo Oval Youth Facility, now modernised and including a ‘green roof’, next to the ‘Fernside’ Waterloo Skate Park, Sydney’s first skate park to copy an urban streetscape

The iconic Tote building in Zetland providing a temporary library and neighbourhood service centre

The South Sydney Business Chamber funded to expand membership across south Sydney and attract new business to the area. A local business precinct
coordinator has been appointed to support local economic development and business associations

Community grants include support for Alexandria Park Community School and Eastern Sydney Respite and Recreation

Your vision

What is your vision for your area? Here are some suggestions –

The area is an economic centre with new employment opportunities

The Green Square Town Centre is a residential, retail and cultural hub for City South communities

Green energy, water and waste infrastructure establishes Green Square as Australia’s leading sustainable community

New and renewed parks, playgrounds and recreation, community and cultural facilities meet community needs and are easily accessible

Adequate public transport and safe walking and bike riding routes reduce vehicle congestion and allow residents to get to parks, shops, work, school and cultural facilities

An expanded light rail network links to the CBD to reduce traffic and parking congestion